Connectable bricks toys, such as the building elements provided by LEGO, allow one to build three dimensional structures and provide a unique educational experience. Playing with such bricks develops skills such as 3D vision, creativity, engineering, role-playing and more. The common toy bricks have been supplemented with dedicated building elements with either a specific appearance or a mechanical or electrical function to enhance the play value. Such functions include e.g. motors, switches and lamps, but also programmable processors that accept input from sensors and can activate function elements in response to received sensor inputs. In some cases, a state-of-the-art electronic system is incorporated in the building elements, to allow programmable robotic construction, remote control actions and more, such as the ROBOTICS INVENTION SYSTEM kit manufactured by LEGO MINDSTORMS. However, the electronic aspects of these kits cannot be easily exploited by the user and combining multiple electric components is at best limited.
Today, many connectable toy bricks are made of a non-conductive plastic material, such as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS). These are designed in such a way that two bricks are well connectable to each other as well as easily disassembled. Many building kits allow the construction of highly sophisticated 3D models as along with simple shapes. Some kits combine electric elements such as motors, lights and sensors, by mechanically attaching them to existing blocks. In some instances, electric components are embedded or encased in a plastic brick, which allows direct attachment to other bricks
In such electronic sets all the wiring is done by regular wires that are not a part of the construction. Electrically connecting the circuit is straightforward and simplified connectors are provided to plug-in the wires into each of the components. The electric circuitry is invisible to the user in the sense that the wires usually come in pairs and the only construction experience is connecting parts together. The educational experience is limited as the user does not learn much about electronics and electric circuit; moreover, it is limited by the need to connect actual wires, which may become entangled, limit the mechanical movement and are unpleasing to the eye. Furthermore, such elements do not include basic electronic components such as capacitors, coils, resistors, etc.
Another popular theme of science educational kits are electronic kits. These usually comprise specific theme-based, stand-alone kits, in which the user experience involves connecting an electrical circuit that performs a certain function. Examples of such kits are—solar energy kit (solar powered vehicles), electric water fountains, electric alarms, electric turbines, etc. Many kits use a plastic board onto which electric wires are connected, either directly or through mechanical devices (springs). Electric components can be mechanically attached to the board. However, such electronic kits are limited because the user experience is limited to placing components and connecting wires in a way that the path through which current flows is not visually evident. The result is usually an entanglement of wires that completely masks the circuit structure and its functionality. Thus, the educational value and learning experience is at best limited. Moreover, the components of each kit cannot be used in other setups or other kits and are usually limited to the specific kit for which they were designed.
Some prior-art publications disclose a variety of arrangements for providing conductive building toy bricks, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,346,775, U.S. Pat. No. 3,553,883, U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,393, U.S. Pat. No. 6,805,605. However, such arrangements require electric components or conductive pins to be embedded inside the building toy bricks. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,346,775 the electric connection between blocks is via a wire and a pin from underneath to a conductive board. U.S. Pat. No. 6,805,605 discloses toy bricks having conducting pins inserted inside which conduct electricity from top to bottom.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,393 discloses a toy building brick with electrical contacts that have at least two rows and in each row at least one selected pin to conduct electricity. The conduction is between the selected pins and the opposite facing sockets. This toy building block lacks the ability to conduct along the lateral side portion of the brick. Moreover, the selected pins are always displaced longitudinally from one another.
A project published online on Oct. 4, 2011 by Adedoyin Ogunniyi under the name “Conductive LEGOS” (http://courses.media.mit.edu/2011fall/mass62/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Conductive-LEGOS.pdf), teaches how to take plastic connectable bricks (LEGO brand) and coat them with a highly conductive copper layer by electroplating, a well-known technique for coating materials with metals. FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C schematically show such conductive connectable bricks, indicated by numerals 1, 2 and 6.
Swiss patent application CH 455606A “Element for Building Toys” discloses building bricks of the same type, which are modified to contain electrical components so that they may be used to form electrical circuits. The bricks are normally made of a plastics material and may be coated with a conducting film, e.g. by spraying on a metal film or by fitting a metal foil molded to fit over or with holes cut to fit round the pins or posts that are configured for releasable engagement within recessed areas of other building bricks.
Coated bricks as disclosed by the “Conductive LEGOS” project and by CH 455606A can be used to conduct electricity whenever they touch each other. However, the electric contacts between adjacent bricks are erratic (as shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C), as the two adjacent bricks 1 and 2 may not always touch each other and conduct electricity due to an air gap 4 that sometimes occurs between the side portions of the adjacent bricks, thus breaking electric contact. Normally, the side portions of such bricks do not have any connecting surface, which are usually located on the upper (male) and lower (female) surfaces of the bricks. The gap may occur when the bricks 1 and 2 (in the illustrative examples of FIG. 1) are placed one next to the other on a suitable baseplate 3, to which the bricks 1 and 2 are connected via the lower attachment surface located at the bottom of each brick. Brick 6 and brick 1 are connected in a conventional way, where the lower surface of brick 6, provided with female connecting elements suitable to house male connecting elements, is connected to the corresponding attachment surface at the upper surfaces of brick 1, which is provided with male connecting elements, such as small posts. In this common coupling way, usually no gap exists, as the bricks are firmly connected, as indicated by numeral 5.
Another drawback of copper coated plastic bricks is the oxidation of the copper. Once oxidized, the copper is no longer conductive and loses its shining metallic look. In addition, copper is a soft metal prone to scratches and mechanical damage.
In order to build electronic circuits from connectable bricks, one must assure that the bricks conduct electricity between each other in the desired side or direction. Moreover, it is desirable to have different bricks that conduct electricity between different faces (e.g., at least one of the side portions of a brick and/or at least part of the upper/lower surface that includes the attachment surface). For example, some bricks will conduct through segment(s) at their length and some through segment(s) at their width.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a toy brick which is capable of conducting in selected directions.
It is another object of the present invention to provide conductive toy bricks in which the current path is visible through the shape and geometry of the bricks themselves.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.